Naughty or Nice
by pinklotus76
Summary: 'Tis the season of giving...into desires.


Bella scowled at her reflection in the mirror. This was not what she had signed up for when Jessica cajoled her into "bringing Christmas cheer to the children's ward at the hospital." The green elf costume looked like it had been designed by La Perla. She tugged uncomfortably at the hem of the ridiculously short skirt, and took a deep breath. At least her dad wasn't in town to see her dressed like this. Grabbing her keys, she braced for the inevitable public humiliation and headed out the front door.

The children's ward had been half-heartedly decorated, with a slightly bedraggled tree, paper snowflakes, and plenty of candy canes. "Holly Jolly Christmas" was playing on the loudspeaker, and Bella thought she might get a cavity from the cloying sweetness of it all. She made a beeline for Jessica, who looked as racy as Bella felt in her skimpy elf outfit.

"Bella! You made it!" Jessica greeted her, pulling her into a hug. Now there was a habit that desperately needed breaking.

"Yep, I'm here with bells on," Bella replied with a forced smile.

"You look adorable, by the way. Aren't these costumes great?"

"They're certainly festive," she hedged.

"Santa isn't here yet, but I'm expecting him any minute. If you want to get rid of your bag, they said we could leave our things in the employee lounge."

Grateful to slip away, Bella went into the empty break room. "It's for a good cause," she murmured under her breath. "It's for a good cause."

The door swung open behind her as she set down her bag, and she turned, thinking it was Jessica. Instead, a too-skinny Santa stood there.

"Well, ho-ho-ho," he said.

Shit. She knew that voice. Her former boss. "Edward. What are you doing here?"

"What's it look like, dollface? I'm playing Santa. You remember how this all works, don't you?"

"You don't really strike me as the Santa type," she told him.

"Oh, I don't know. It's all about knowing who's naughty and nice, right?" He managed to leer at her from behind the fake beard. "I gotta say, you look like a naughty girl, Bella Swan."

She flushed and folded her arms protectively across her chest. "Santa better behave himself, or he's going to have his chestnuts roasted on an open fire," she said icily. "Let's get this over with."

"Aw, where's your Christmas spirit, babe?" he asked as she walked towards him and the door.

"Bah humbug," she muttered.

"Y'know where you're standing, don't you?" he asked, pointing up.

She looked and rolled her eyes at the sprig of mistletoe. "Kiss my ass," she said sweetly, before elbowing him in the gut and walking out.

X

If Bella heard one more Christmas carol, she was going to scream. The three hours at the hospital had felt more like twelve, largely thanks to Edward flirting with her at every turn. The guy was an ass, but even she had to admit he was a good Santa to the kids.

Pulling up to a stoplight, she reached into her bag for her phone. Instead, her hand closed on what felt like a small box. She pulled it out and stared for a moment at the festively-wrapped package. The light turned green, and she hit the accelerator, one hand fumbling to tear open the box. Finally, she succeeded, and a tissue-covered object fell out, accompanied by a note.

She unfolded the paper, but all it said was, "To Bella. From Santa."

Making short work of the tissue, she nearly ran off the road when she realized she was holding a pair of red and green fur-covered handcuffs. Yanking the car into a sharp u-turn, she headed for Edward's place.

When he answered the door, he was still wearing the Santa pants, although he had removed the coat, revealing a white wife-beater. All he needed was a beer in his hand, and he would be a white trash Santa.

He grinned when he saw her. "Come to sing me some Christmas carols, dollface?"

She held up the handcuffs. "I thought you might need these back, since I figure they're the only way you can keep a woman in your bed."

"It's sweet of you to be so concerned about my sex life," he replied with a smirk. "But trust me, when I get a woman in bed, the last thing she wants to do is leave."

"Ugh!" She rattled the handcuffs. "Would you just take the damn things so I can go?"

"What's your hurry? Come have a Christmas drink with me."

"I'm not having a drink with you, Edward."

"I'm okay with skipping the drink and going straight to the sex."

She tossed the cuffs in his face and spun on the heel of her pointy elf shoe, but before she could leave, he caught her by the elbow.

"Aw, come on, Bella, it was a joke."

She shot a quick glare over her shoulder.

"Okay, maybe not entirely," he amended. "But you gotta learn to take a joke, or you'll have an ulcer before you're thirty."

"Your concern for my health is touching," she snapped, turning around. "But the only thing likely to give me an ulcer is having to deal with you."

He clutched his hands to his chest. "You wound me, Bella." He paused, and his expression grew serious. "Look, I know you hate me but you gotta admit, we make a good team."

She stared up at him, trying to figure out where the next punchline was coming from. For once, though, he actually seemed sincere. "I guess you were a pretty good Santa," she grudgingly admitted.

He grinned. "And you were one smokin' hot elf," he told her, his hand softly stroking up her arm in a move she could only classify as a caress.

He took a step closer, and she asked, "Edward, what are you..."

Kissing her. Kissing her was what he was doing, and for the first moment, she was too shocked to push him away. Then the moment passed, and it turned out she didn't want to push him away, because for all his faults, Edward Cullen was a hell of a kisser. Based on past interactions, she would have pegged him as sloppy and aggressive, but he was surprisingly gentle. When his hands slipped down to cup her ass, she finally came to her senses.

She'd always known Edward was an ass man — or at least an ass.

Breaking free of him, she asked, "What the hell was that?"

His smirk was off the charts. "That was a kiss. And a damn good one, if those little moans you were making are anything to go by. Which they totally are."

"Yeah, well, it's never going to happen again," she snapped. She wasn't sure who she was angrier at, herself or him.

"Why not?"

"Gee, I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Maybe because you fired me?"

"Well, yeah, you were the worst waitress I've ever had in my restaurant," he said. "And if I were your boss, I wouldn't be able to show you how good I'm with my hands-" he slid them up her body until they grazed the sides of her breasts, "and that was only the beginning of what I can do with my mouth-" he bent his head close and flicked out his tongue against the shell of her ear, "and you have no idea what I can do with certain other body parts," he finished, pressing his hips to her so she could feel what seemed like a pretty impressive erection.

She couldn't help herself as another traitorous little moan escaped her lips. There were so very, very many reasons why this was wrong, but all she could think about at the moment was getting naked and getting tangled up in Edward Cullen.

When it registered that Bella hadn't run screaming, that she was, in fact, leaning into him like he was the only thing holding her up, Edward seized his opportunity. He locked his arms around her waist and lifted, bringing her mouth to a much more convenient height for kissing. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pressing their bodies even closer, and it was hotter than any fantasy he'd ever had.

In one last attempt at sanity, she gasped out, "This is a really bad idea." But her hands were already clutching at the hem of his shirt, and he decided she didn't really mean it.

He kicked the door shut and started making his way to the bedroom. It would have gone faster, but he kept stopping every few feet to press her agains the wall and kiss her thoroughly — among other explorations. By the time they reached the bed, his shirt was gone and the fly on the Santa pants was down. Her elf dress was unzipped and bunched around her waist, and he couldn't have said where he'd thrown her bra.

Setting her down on the mattress, he couldn't resist ogling a bit. He'd always thought Bella had nice boobs, if a little small, and it was nice to have proof of their perky, bare glory. "Last chance," he whispered, bending down to kiss her. Bella had a damn addictive mouth.

"You were right about not needing handcuffs," she murmured back.

He grinned. "Yeah, but they might be fun later."

While she laughed, he quickly stripped off her dress, removing her underwear and shoes as he went. "You're the prettiest Christmas present I've ever unwrapped," he told her once he had her naked.

She blushed all over, and tugged at his pants. "When do I get to finish unwrapping you?"

"Patience, Bella," he told her, sliding down the bed. "Like I said, I'm damn good with my hands-" he slipped one finger inside her, "and you won't believe what I can do with my mouth," he added, kissing along the crease of her hip.

X

Jessica was going to kill her. She had promised to drop off the elf costume no later than eight tonight, so they wouldn't be charged for an extra day. It was pushing midnight, and Bella was still naked in Edward's bed.

For the moment, she was alone. Edward had disappeared into the kitchen to make a snack after their last round of extremely energetic sex. The guy was remarkably flexible, with impressive stamina and a seemingly endless supply of condoms. He'd also made good on every boast, and Bella had stopped counting her orgasms hours ago. They'd had sex in the shower, and on the hall floor after the shower. She was actually a little surprised he hadn't asked her to test out the kitchen counter.

She knew she should leave, make her escape while he was busy with food. Sooner or later, this was bound to get awkward. There was still the minor detail that she didn't really like Edward. He fired her — _the feel of his mouth on her skin —_ all of his smart-ass remarks — _his fingers tracing words and shapes on her back_...

Throwing off the covers, she climbed out of bed.

X

When Edward returned to the bedroom carrying a tray of fruit, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce, he half-expected Bella to be gone. He wasn't sure he'd blame her if she was.

But she was still in his bed, the sheet pulled up over her chest. "You're still here," he commented lightly.

"I tried to leave," she admitted. "Got up, got dressed. Well, except for my bra. I made it as far as the front door."

He set down the tray, and sat next to her. "What stopped you?"

She pulled her hand out from beneath the sheets, and held up the handcuffs. "I found these," she replied with a wicked grin.

He grinned back, his hand slipping under the sheet to find her hip. "I thought I told you I didn't need 'em."

"Maybe not," she admitted, absently playing with the open bracelets. "Still..." she added, and before he realized it, they were cuffed together. "It seems a shame to let them go to waste."


End file.
